


The Man With the Wings

by LandofWordsandNonsense (RiaHawk)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, From the Bell Jar, Gen, Missing Scene, Modern AU, Temporary Character Death, and also throwing an almighty shitfit, and hopefully will, except trent ikithon, fic of a fic, he needs to die in a fire, molly is dead and pissed about it, trent ikithon is back on his bullshit, vax is trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 17:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiaHawk/pseuds/LandofWordsandNonsense
Summary: There was a sighing noise, and Molly could just see what looked like big, black feathered wings stretch around from the man's back, wrapping around Molly until all he could see were black feathers and black leather."Right now, you have to wait until you can help them. And I know it hurts. It hurts so much when those you care about are suffering and you can't do anything about it. But if you go back now, they're only going to suffer more . All of you will."





	The Man With the Wings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gayshitiguess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayshitiguess/gifts).
  * Inspired by [And the World Drops Dead](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16836421) by [gayshitiguess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayshitiguess/pseuds/gayshitiguess). 



> This is a missing scene for "And the World Drops Dead" by gayshitiguess, posted at their request. It's set between chapters 10 and 11 of that fic, just a short bit from Molly's side of things.

He shouldn't have done it. If there was ever any hope of Caleb talking them out of this, it vanished as soon as Molly bit that motherfucker's finger off. But then, he seriously doubted Ikithon had ever had any intention of letting any of them go. And he just couldn't listen to Caleb try to bargain away his mind and soul to save them.

 

But then, of course, the bastard wasn't the sort of man to let an insult like that pass. Molly knew he was a dead man as soon as Ikithon put his hands to Molly's face. And it scared him. But if he was going to go out, he was going to go out on his terms. "If you're going to kill me, I'd be very sure. It hasn't stuck yet," he said flippantly and forced himself not to shudder when Ikithon tapped an ice-cold finger against his jaw.

 

"I will be sure."

 

Molly's vision went a little blurry, but he could still make everything out. Yasha was thrashing against the black smoke holding her in place, trying to get to him, to no avail. Caleb couldn't tear his eyes off him, and he could already see the fractures spreading through the wizard. "Third time's a charm," he said, giving Caleb the biggest smile he could.

 

Then there was pain and a nauseating crunching sound and Yasha screamed and Caleb made a sound in his chest that was somehow _worse_ and everything went dark.

 

" _What do you say, Caleb?_ "

 

\------------------------------

 

The room was flat and gray and everything seemed insubstantial and only halfway there, except for two bright spots. The only objects in the room with any color at all were the only two things that Molly cared about. One was Yasha, who seemed to flare brighter and brighter as she fought and screamed against the smoke binding her, slamming into the radiator and sending cracks through the wall until it seemed like she must be in danger of her rage turning on her and burning her out for lack of a target. Caleb just got dimmer and dimmer, the color leaching out of his eyes as they stayed fixed on Molly's cooling body.

 

Molly was _fucking_ _furious_.

 

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS _OFF_ OF HIM MOTHERFUCKER! DON'T YOU FUCKING _DARE_ FUCKING TOUCH HIM! I'M GOING TO TEAR THAT FUCKING SMILE OFF YOUR FACE AND SHOVE IT STRAIGHT UP YOUR-" He lunged against something holding him back, trying to reach Ikathon to claw his smug fucking face off. He kept screaming, a mix of profanity and threats in every language he knew, switching so rapidly even he had no idea what language he was speaking in.

 

"Mollymauk, _stop_ ," a male voice pleaded in his ear, and that reached him just enough that he was able to realize what was holding him back was a man in a black leather biker jacket, with both arms wrapped around Molly's waist. "You're only going to hurt yourself."

 

" _Fuck_ hurting myself, how can I hurt myself any _worse_ -" That reminded him just where, and more importantly, _who_ he was, and he turned, lunging in the direction of his body. " _Fuck_ him, being dead's not going to stop me-"

 

The man tightened his grip and hauled Molly backwards, struggling to keep his grip. "No! Not yet! _Not yet_ ! Listen to me, dammit, you _can't_ go back yet!"

 

"Fuck you! Let me go! They need me!" He clawed at the arms around him, and damn near slipped free, but the other man maintained his grip, if barely.

 

"They do, they _absolutely_ do, I _know_ they do, but you have to _listen_ to me!" The man jerked him back. "You're only going to get _one shot_ at this, and if you blow it you're _all_ going to be _even more fucked_ than you are now!" That gave Molly pause, just long enough for the other man, who proved to be tall and slender, with pale skin and long dark hair, to spin him around and pull him against his chest with his arms pinned. He pressed Molly's head to his chest, angled away from the center of the room so he couldn't see the way Caleb's eyes had gone horrifyingly blank, with his hand against Molly's other ear so he couldn't hear Yasha's muffled screams. All he could hear was the man's voice rumbling in his chest. "He thinks you were full of shit," the man said, his grip tightening comfortingly. "He doesn't know what you _are_ . But you have a _broken neck_ . That's going to take _time_ to sort out. If you come back _now,_ you'll be at his mercy and he'll know you were serious. And then he's going to kill you over, and _over_ , and _over again_ until he _does_ make it stick. Or he'll do something _worse_."

 

It made sense, as much as Molly didn't want it to. He was that type. And he'd probably also make them watch him be murdered over and over, and Caleb was already well past the breaking point. And Yasha was _getting_ there. Molly didn't want to think about what could be _worse_ . "I can't just _sit_ here and let that _fucker_ -" Molly tried to push away. "I have to _do_ something!"

 

There was a sighing noise, and Molly could just see what looked like big, black feathered wings stretch around from the man's back, wrapping around Molly until all he could see were black feathers and black leather. "I know. I understand, Mollymauk. I've _been_ there. But right now, you have to wait until you can help them. And I _know_ it hurts. It hurts _so much_ when those you care about are suffering and you can't do anything about it. But if you go back now, they're only going to suffer _more_ . _All_ of you will."

 

Molly pressed his face into the other man's chest, tears spilling against his biker jacket. "So I just have to _wait_ ?! I have to _stand by_ while that _fucker_ tortures them?!"

 

"...For now. Yes. You do. But only for now. I'm not going to stop you going back forever."

 

Molly didn't know how long they stood like that. The man's wings prevented him from seeing or hearing what was going on, and at first, it drove him crazy, because he had no idea what was happening. Then he thought about what _could_ be happening, and decided he was glad the man had elected to spare him having to watch. But presently, the wings lifted. Ikathon was gone, and the glow that said 'Yasha' was so bright with rage he almost couldn't see her at all. She was throwing herself at the door of the room, and it should have knocked the door clean off the hinges, but nothing happened. There was almost nothing left of Caleb's glow, and he was staring at Molly's body with a chilling lack of expression. Then Yasha calmed enough that she remembered Caleb was there, and shattered the cuffs on him like they were made of plastic. When they fell off, Caleb gasped like a drowning man and almost fell out of his chair, clutching at his throat. Yasha grabbed his shoulders and held on to him until his breathing steadied and awareness came back into his eyes.

 

The man with the wings seemed to have been listening for something, and nodded. Then he released Molly from the tight embrace he’d been holding him in with a gentle push. "Now. Go now."

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

It hurt like a _motherfucker_.

 

The memory of the strange man with the wings was already fading, but here in this moment, Molly knew if he'd come back while Ikathon was still in the room, he couldn't have done anything to protect himself or anyone else.

 

Then the pain gave way somewhat to warmth, and the feeling of hands on his face and arms around him, and he blinked through the blood in his eyes to look at the two people he loved most in the world.

 

"You two look like shit."


End file.
